…the mouth speaks.”*
Had to break my blog silence to share my thoughts about the recent suspension of Hot 97′s DJ Cipha Sound (Luis Diaz) for his comments last Friday. As you probably know, the DJ stated he was HIV negative because he didn’t mess with “Haitian girls”. He then issued an apology, stating that he “reps” for us and even threw in a “sak pase” to try to appease the community.
I’ll get right to the point. The comment for me, besides being quite offensive, also served as a reminder to me that labels die hard. Though Haitians were considered an at-risk group and were banned from donating blood almost three decades ago, the inevitable stigma over the community remains. After all, it doesn’t take much to pound a message into one’s belief system, but altering it, that can take a lifetime. I just never thought this lie would rear it’s ugly through a “joke”, by means of a young man of color who claims to “rep” for Haitians.
Can a suspension with sensitivity training focused on the Haitian community, change a man’s heart? I say this because I assume sensitivity would come from there. A little bit of that could have kept Mr. Diaz from thinking there is even such a thing as a “joke” concerning HIV. Though I feel the consequences to his actions are a slap on the wrist, only time will tell if they will make any real difference. But in my mind, if history repeats itself, most likely they will not.
Though your words upset me, Mr. Diaz, I wish to thank you for the reminder, although unpleasant, that ignorance concerning health and my community prevails. Perhaps I needed that wake-up call.
*Matthew 12:34
And she’s back, swinging!
And he’s back… my faithful commentator!